Expansible shoe form



Oct. 18,1927. y W J DE WITT V1,646,016

EXPANSIBLE SHOE FORM V/ g..k

A. di n I llllllllllllllllll/lill Wazzwv .I pewiw.

2 Shoots-Shoo; 2

Patented Oct. 18, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

4TILLIAM J. DE WITT, OF ABURN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE SHOE FORM CO. INC., OF AUBURN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

EXPANSIBLE SHOE FORM.

Application led .Tuly 27, 1926. Serial No. 125,172.

This invention pertains to ex ansible forms or trees designed to keep ootwear plumped out and free from wrinkles while on exhibition or during intervals between periods of use, and for specific illustration is herein disclosed as comprising a'resilient hollow thin-walled shell such as may conveniently be made of sheet Celluloid or some similar material, although in its broader aspects it is not necessarily limited to forms of this particular type. Expansible forms or trees, as compared with non-expansible forms, have certain well recognized advantages, For' example, they ma be introduced into the boot or shoe more eas1ly than the non-expansible form; they exert an outward pressure tending not only to prevent wrinkles but also to eliminate wrinkles reviously formed; and they may, if desired), be so designed as actually to stretch the shoe.

While such expansible forms have these and possibly other advantages they usually possess at least one defect which, so far as am aware, has not been adequately rem.- edied, previously to the present invent-ion. This defect arises from the mechanical difficulty of making a form which will at all times and at all stages of expansion or contraction present for contact with the interior of the shoe a surface which is unbroken and continuous and which exerts substantially equal pressure at opposite sides of the shoe upper irrespective of the relative amounts to which such opposite sides may yield.

The principal object of the present invention 1ste provide an expansible form having a smooth exterior contour and which is adapted to exert a lateral pressure of substantially equal amounts against op osite sides of the shoe regardless of the.` relative yieldableness of the upper at various points, or, in other words, to provide a form which expands outwardly to amounts respectively proportionate in inverse ratio to the resistances which it encounters at various points. In the accompanying drawings certain de2L sirable embodiments of the invention have been illustrated by way of example, and in the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of one embodiment of the invention showing the form removed from the shoe;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section,

of more or less diagrammatic character, illustrating a strap pump having the form of Fig. 1 disposed therein;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating a modified construction; Y

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the form of Fig. 3 fitted within the shoe;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fi i 1 but showing a form of further modi ed construction;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating the form of Fig. 5; A

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but illustrating a further modification; and

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the` form of Fig. 7 disposed within the form fairly closely to the interior surface of the shoe with which it is to be used, although in its normal unexpanded condition,

it should slip easily into the shoe. In Fig.`

2 the shoe or ump is shown as comprising the upper 2, t e sole at 3, the heel 4, an

the rear or counter portion 5.

The hollow thin-walled member or shell 1 is furnished with a pair of substantially; v i

rigid spreader bars or links 7 and 8 whic cross each other intermediate their ends as indicated at 9 in Fig. 1. The end 11 of the link 7 is pivotally secured in any desired manner to one side of the member 1. Preferably as here shown the member l1 has an inturned marginal flange 6 at its lower edge which is adapted to rest on the inner surface' of the shoe sole, and if such flange be rovided, the end 11 of the link-7 may, as ere shown, be pivotally att-ached to this iange, the opposite end 10 of the link resting freely upon the upper surface of the flange. The spreader" link 8 is likewise pivotally attached atits end 12 to the member 1 `other end 13 of the link 8 being free to move y along the flange 6.

Preferably the intermediate portions of the spreader links 7 and 8 -are bowed upwardly as indicated at 14 to accommodate a loop member 15 which loosely embraces the two links at their crossing point 9. This loop member is suiciently loose to permit endwise movement of the links 7 and 8, it being noted that the crossing of these links is not a xed and definite point but may vary in accordance with the relative endwise shifting of the two links.

The loop 15 is attached to the forward end of a resilient bar 16. s here shown., this loop 15 is integral with the bar, being formed by bending or ceiling the bar, and the opposite end of the bar 16 is preferably provided with a' loop 17 providing a smooth surface adapted to engage the inner surface of the counter portion of the shoe. Preferably the bar 16 is bent or bowed slightly,

lill) lsa and to introduce the form into the shoe, with the member 1 in the toe portion of the shoe and the member 17 engaging the counter, this bending or bowing of the link must be increased. This bending of the bar 16 provides the necessary spring tension for forcing the member 1 firmly into the toe portion of the shoe and produces a force acting forwardly through -loop 15 tending to move the crossing point of the links forwardly and thus to bring the links more nearly into parallel relation. Obviously any such movement of the links 7 and 8 tends to expand the member 1 laterally, but since the links 7 and 8 are free to move endwise relativelyto each other, the points of connection of the links to the member 1 do not necessar-ily move in any predetermined path, but on the other hand move in inverse ratio to the resistance met with at these points. The result of this arrangement is that substantially equal pressures are exerted at opposite sides of the shoe and at the front and rear portions thereof so that fullnes or wrinkles in the upper occurring at any given point are plumped out in the desired manner without unduly straining other parts of the upper.

By properly proportioning the parts 'and designing the bar 16 the requisite expansive pressure may loe provided for a shoe of any given size. "Whenthe form is to be withdrawn it is merely necessary to spring the bar 16 to permit the end 17 thereof to escape over the upper edge of the counter, whereupon the hollow member 1 tends to resume its normal dimensions, thus permitting it to be withdrawn from the shoe without diliticulty.

Tn the modied construction' shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the hollow member 18 is of substantially the same type as the member 1 previously described. This hollow member has the marginal inturned flange 19 and is provided with a pair of crossed spreader links 20 and 21. The ends 22 and 24 respectively of these links are pivotally connected to the flange 19 at opposite sides of the form.

ln this arrangement, in addition to the spreader links, T provide a toggle linkage comprising the link members 26 and 27 which are pivotally united at 28 to form a knuckle joint. The outer extremities of the links 26 and 27 are pivotally secured at 25 and 23 respectively to the rear ends of the links 21 and 20.

Preferably the joint uniting the links 26 and 27 is provided by bending each link to form an eye, as indicated at 29 and 30 in F ig. 4 and passing a loop 31 through these eyes so as to unite the links. Preferably this loop member 31 is integral with the forward end of the spring bar 32; This bar is generally similar in construction and function to the bar 16 previously described, and at its rear end is furnished with a loop 33 for engagement with the inner surface of the shoe counter.

Preferably the member 32 is provided with a forward extension 34 (Fig. 3) having an elongate loop 35, which loosely embraces the llnks 20 and 21 at their crossing point.

`With this arrangement, when the form is inserted within the shoe, the pressure exerted by the sprin bar 35 forces the toggle linkage 36 and 3% forwardly into the dotted line position of Fig. 3. This movement of the toggle linkage forces the rear ends of the spreader links 20 and 21 forwardly and outwardly, but as the spreader links are not connected at their crossing point, their pressures are distributed in the same manner as above described with respect to the device shown in Fig. 1. However, in this arrangement, the toggle linkage in moving forwardly, passes the center line defined by the pivots 23 and 25 so that it positively locks the form in expanded condition. W hen the toggle linkage has assumed the extreme forward position desired, the rear end of the ,loop 35 engages the spreader links at their crossing ypoint and this prevents further movement of the toggle linkage.

Tn the arrangement shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the hollow member 1av is substantially like the member 1 shown in Fig. 1. This hollow member is provided with the spreader links 7a and 8a secured at their opposite ends 11a and 12a, to the opposite sides of the member la respectively. The loop 15a embraces these crossing spreader links at their crossing points, such loop being carried by or forming a part of the spring bar 16a.

Tn this modification the bar 16 extends rearwardly and is provided with a hairpin bend 36 from which point it extends VforlUU lll)

wardly and upwardly to the point 37 and thence downwardly to provide the supporting member 38, preferably terminating in the closed loop 39. This arrangement provides a support for the upper portion of the vamp 40 of the shoe, and i as shown in Fig. 6 the shoe hasstraps or equivalent devices 41, this supporting member 38 also holds. these straps 1n proper position.

In Figs. 7 and 8 the numeral 18a designates a hollow member similar to the member 18 in Figs. 3 and 4, such member being provided with the crossing spreader links 20a and 21 connected to the hollow member at the points 22a and 24, respectively. This arrangement is also provided with the toggle linkage 26, 27, similar to that shown in Fig. 3 and with the stop member 35". In place of the spring bar 32 of Fig. 4, a bar 32al is provided which extends rearwardly to the hairpin bend 36, thence forwardly to the point 37, and then downwardly to provide the supporting \member 38 terminating at 39. This-member 38a supports the upper part of the vamp of the shoe in the same manner as the member 38 of Fig. 6.'

In all of the several modifications illustrated the rovision of the crossing spreader links whic are free to move endwise relative to each other, assures the proper application of pressure to the various arts of the shoe upper without straining tie upper or unduly stretching it at certain points as the common result from the employment of trees or forms in which the opposite sides are constrained to move in definlte relation to each other. n

While the form herein Vshown is designed more particularly for plumping out the toe portion of a shoe, I Wish it to be understood that the principle underlying the invention is not restricted to a form of this particular type,y but may well be embodied in forms a apted to fill a greater part of or even the entire shoe. I further contemplate that although for best results the hollow member 1 is desirable, since it provides a smoothly continuous surface for distributing the pressure of the spreader links, it may be possible under some circumstances to dlspense with this hollow member 1 and to provide the spreader links at their outer ends with independent contact surfaces' for engagement with the inner walls of the shoe.

While a pair of spreader links has been shown, I contemplate that a greater number of such crossing spreader links may be employed or lthat several pairs of such links may be situated at various parts of the form provided the form be of greater dimensions than that here shown.

I claim: 1. An expansible shoe form comprising a thin walled shell adapted to enter a shoe, said shell having a smoothly continuous other,

outer surface engageable with the inner sur,- face of a shoe upper and means for forcing opposite sides of the shell outwardly to amounts respectively proportionate, in inverse ratio, to the resistances which they encounter.

2. An expansible shoe ^form for insertion within a shoe, said form comprising a hollow thin walled shell of celluloid having a smoothly continuous outer surface. an means for exerting substantially equal pressures at opposite sides of the shell irrespective of the relative amounts to which such opposite sides yield. p

3. An expansible shoe form comprising a hollow resilient shell having a smoothly continuous outer surface shaped to conform to the interior surface of a 'shoe upper, and means for applying substantially equal outwardl directed force at a plurality of space points at each sidev of said shell.

4. An ex ansible shoe form comprisin a plurality o spreader links, each link having 4lts ends disposed at opposite sides of the form respectively, the several links crossing each other intermediate their ends, and pressure applying means loosely engaging the several links at their crossing point.

5. An ex ansible shoe form comprising a plurality o spreader links, each link having its ends disposed at opposite sides of the form respectively, the several links crossing each other intermediate their ends, and a pressure applying member having a `loop loosely embracing the several links at their crossing point.

6. An expansible shoe form comprising ar plurality of spreader links, each link having its ends disposed at opposite sides of the form respectively, 'the several links crossing each other intermediate their ends, and a resilientmember having a loop at one end loosely embracing the several links at their crossing point, said resilient member having a surface engageable with the rear end of the shoe withinwhich the form is placed.

7. An expansible shoe form )comprising a plurality of spreader links. each link havlng its ends disposed at opposite sides of the form, respectively, the several links crossing each other intermediate their ends, but being free to move endwise relatively to each other, and means forv applying force to the links in a direction such as to tend to move their rear ends forwardly.

8. An expansible shoe form comprising a plurality of spreader links, each link having its ends disposed at opposite sides of the form respectivelykthe several links crossing each other intermediate their ends, but being free to move endwise relatively to each and means for moving the rear ends of the links forwardly and for locking them in their forward position.

9. An expansible shoe form comprising a plurality of spreader links, each link having its ends disposed at opposite sides of the form respectively, the several links crossing each other intermediate their ends but being free to move endwise relatively to each. other, and means including a spring and a toggle for moving the links more nearly into parallelism and for locking them in such position.

10. An expansible shoe form comprising a plurality of spreader links, each link having its ends disposed at opposite sides of the form respectively, the several links crossing each other intermediate their ends but being free to move endwise relatively to each other, a toggle comprising a pair of pivotally connected links each having its free end connected to the end of one of said spreader links, said toggle links normally converging toward the rear of the form, and a pressure applyin s ring connected .to the junction point o' t e toggle links and tending to move the junction point of said links forwardly.

11. An expansible shoe form comprising a plurality of spreader links, each link having its ends disposed at opposite sides of the form respectively, the several links crossing each other intermediate their ends but being free to move endwise relatively to each other, a toggle linkage having its free ends pivotally connected respectively .to one of said spreader links, a pressure applying spring engaging the joint of the toggle device, and means for limiting movement of said joint by the action of said spring.

12. An expansible shoe form comprising a i thin walled shell for insertion within a shoe upper, a plurality of links, each link having one of its ends pivotally united to one side of the shell, said links crossing each other intermediate their ends, a loop loosely embracing the several links, and resilient means adapted to move the loop forwardly toward the toe of the shell.

13. An expansible shoe form comprising a thin walled shell for insertion within a shoe upper, a plurality of links, each link having one of its ends pivotally connected to the side of the shell, said links crossing each other intermediate their ends, the links being free to move endwise relatively to each other, `and means for applying force to the several links tending to move them into parallelism.

14. An eXpansible shoe form comprising a thin walled shell for insertion within a shoe upper, a plurality of links, each link having one of its ends pivotally connected to the side of the shell, said' links crossing each other intermediate their ends, the links being free to move endwise relatively to each other, and a spring device engageable with the rear part of a shoe in f which the form is inserted, said spring device applying forward pressure to the links tending to swing them into a position at right angles to the front to rear axis of the shoe.

15. An eXpansible shoe form comprisingl avthin walled shell shaped to fit within a shoe, said shell having an inwardly directed flange at its lower edge, a plurality of spreader links, each link having one of its ends pivotally connected to the flange, said links crossing each other intermediate their ends, the links being free to move endwise relatively to each other, and an elongate resilient pressure applying device having a loop loosely embracing the spreader links at the crossing point andabutting against the inner surface of the rear portion of the shoe within which the form is placed.

16. An expansible shoe form-comprising a thin resilient shell adapted to fit within a shoe, a pair of spreader links, each link hav ing one of its ends pivotally attached to the side of the shell, the links crossing intermediate their ends but being free to move endwise relatively to one another, a toggle linkage having its ends pivotally connected to the shell adjacent to the rear ends of the spreader` links, a resilient member adapted to abut against the inner surface of the rear end of a shoe in which the form is placed, said resilient member exerting force in a forward direction on the joint of the toggle linkage, and an extension of said resilient member engageablewith the spreader links adjacent to their crossing point to limit forward movement of the toggle.

17. An expansible shoe form comprising a thin shell adapted to lit within a shoe, a pair of spreader links, each link having one of its ends pivotally attached to the side of the shell, the links crossing intermediate their ends but being free to move endwise relatively to one another, a toggle linkage having its ends pivotally connected to the shell adjacent to the rear ends of the v spreader links, a bowed spring rod having a part adapted to abut the inner surface of the counter portion of a shoe and connected at its forward part to the knuckle of the toggle, said rod having a forward extension provided with an elongate loop embracing the spreader links adjacent to their point of crossing.

18. An eX-pansible shoe form comprising .a thin resilient shell adapted to fit within a shoe, a pair of spreader links, each attached, respectively, to one side of the shell, the links crossing intermediate their ends but being free yto move endwise relatively to one another, and -a device for applying force to said spreader links whereby to move them more nearly into parallelism, said device comprising a spring having a part adapted to support the central upper part of the vamp of a shoe in which the form is placed.

19. An expansible shoe form comprising a thin resilient'shell adapted to 1'it within a point, the intermediate portion of the spring shoe, a pair of spreader links, each link havabutting the inner surface of the counter of ing one of its ends pivotally attached to the a shoe in Which the form is placed, the other side of-the shell, the links crossing interend portion of the spring extending for- 5 mediate their ends but being free to move Wardly and constituting a support for the 15 endwise relatively to one another, and a forward upper portions ofthe shoe. device for forcing the rear ends of the Signed by me at Auburn, N. Y.. this 22nd spreader links forwardly, said device comday of July 1926. prising an elongate spring having a loop at 10 one end embracing the links at their crossing WILLIAM J. DE WIT'I. 

